Nightlands Zoology
The Nightlands is a strange and often terrible place, full of dim hollows and dark mountains. In this shadowed land Abyss' influence is immense, and much of the fauna in these lands are found nowhere else . . . and nowhere else would some of the more twisted abominations be tolerated by sane minds. Black Forest Fauna The Black Forest is huge and sprawling, a nigh-impenetrable labyrinth of pine barrens and mazes of twisted, darkened trees. During the day it is covered in a thick mist, and thus it is always twilight there. Many of the animals have adapted to the low light conditions, and wander through the darkness. Here too hide many spirits of shade and mist and tree and earth. Aagraed A kind of shy forest deer found in the Nightlands. Though much like other deer in most respects, they have a second set of eyes where most deer would have antlers, and a set of very short cillia tendrils on the stomach, which additionally has a secondary mouth. THey feed by simply lying down and allowing their cillia to move them along as the mouth feeds at the forest floor as the primary mouth nibbles at berries, leaves, and brush. This leaves them mostly hidden by brush but for their head, so it is more difficult for the numerous predators to find them. They are the main prey item of many large predators in the Black forest. Abracht A small reptile that grows to about three feet long but is thin and something of a cross between a snake and a six-legged lizard with a blunt head. They are mostly arboreal, feeding on bird and insects. Alkadaert An immense herbivore, these creatures have pretty much no natural predators. They have thickset bodies with a great deal of blubber, blunt fingers, and vaguely bovine heads with large horns. They sit in one spot for long periods of time, eating bark and foliage. They have a rather frightening countenance, with gigantic luminous, pupiless eyes, heavy horns, and lipless, slobbering mouths that constantly show off huge, tombstone-shaped teeth. Bachtk A silent creature, these owls are supernaturally quiet, never uttering a sound even when being injured, or when striking objects. They have a habit of pacing along tree branches and staring at anything that moves. Baaluur Terrible creatures, these beings are nothing more than a mass of tentacles and several mouths. They stretch themselves between trees and snatch at most anything that comes close, and will rip whatever they catch to pieces. Though nearly invisible in the gloom, they are given away by the Paachik worms and other scavengers that congregate underneath them to feed on the bloodied scraps. Cait Sidhe A bizarre, shapeshifting creature that can change between a giant winged cat, an owl with a cat's ears, or a young woman of any humanoid race with a cat's tail. They are rare, and, while they can speak, are immensely dangerous to lone humanoids. They are intensely cunning and will try to lure people away from groups while in their humanoid form to devour them. A lone person is typically killed with a single back-breaking paw to the spine or a throat-collapsing bite. Crotoa More like myths than actual creatures, crotoa are the ultimate in stealth hunting. Silent, unbelievably fast, and practically invisible, they can destroy a whole caravan or small village without ever even being seen or heard, only empty houses left in their wake. Falthatchk A low-slung, furry carpet of flesh that moves on numerous small clawlike digits. It exudes a weak acid from its underbelly, the semi-digested detritus soaked up periodically as the thing lies flat, rapidly covering itself with dirt to hide. They grow to about ten feet long and half as wide. The Ghraethetcheckt kill these creatures for ready-made, incredibly soft blankets and rugs. GuuJodt A creature much like a twelve-foot centipede with snapping crab-claws for forelegs and a set of trifurcated jaws, these creatures are, despite their frightening appearance, congenial and a valued work-animal and pet for the Ghraethetcheckt. They are loyal, trainable and, if given a task, they always do a good job. Korokchutuur A type of bird, possibly, it resembles nothing so much as a ball of thirteen eyes atop a furry blob of a body the size of a softball, propelled by a set of four stubby 'wings' that are more like squares of skin stretched taut between two long spines. They will jump from trees and make a trademark 'pop' sound as their wings snap shut, sending them rocketing towards a target mouse or small lizard, which they essentially kill on impact, protected by their heavy bones and thick hide. However, they cannot actually fly, and if they hit their prey on the ground they must climb back up into the trees using their four clawed, muscular legs. Paachik A type of thick-bodied worm that crawls among the detritus, eating any rotting flesh they come across. They are the main scavengers of the Black Forest, and a staple food for many insectivores. Prichtick A rather dopey-looking animal with unbelievably matted, astonishingly thick fur on every part of its body. About the size of a boar, they lope serenely through the woods, picking up sticks, leaves, and all sorts of other vegetation in their fur. After a time, they sit down to eat, picking the food out of their fur with an obscenely long tongue. They ignore most creatures, as their fur is so tangled and thick that nearly nothing can bite or claw through it, and the Prichtick is fully capable of defending itself with long ursine claws. Q' Zichtid A type of peculiar creature, a ball of skin surrounding organs and tethered to trees by long sinewy tendrils. They hang there, feeding off nutrients sucked from the tree. They make a favoured dish among the Ghraethetcheckt. Sarchaeck A type of arachnid, somewhat resembling a web-weaving scorpion with a tail that curls under the body as it hangs from its web. They often stay in groups, forming a literal minefield of head-height swaying stingers. They will strike at any creature in range, often swinging themselves at the prey on their line. Once stung, the neurotoxic venom will rapidly paralyze the victim, allowing the Sarchaecks to drag them jointedly into the treetops to feed on. Uchtech Living in the cool streams of the Black Forest, these long, blind eels feed on river weed and algae. Their flesh is extremely soft and sweet, but they cannot be cooked as heat invariably melts the meat and renders it inedible. Waerg The Dunwolves of the Black Forest, these are apex predators, hulking wolves with a more hyena slope to their back and very dark fur as camoflage. Waerg-Dachkt The arboreal cousins of waergi, these creatures seem far more simian, with a lean body and six limbs armed with apelike paws. Each paw has two thumbs and four rotary fingers tipped with long, curved claws used for gripping tree bark and slashing at prey. They can jump astonishing distances and, unlike the solitary waergi, tend to hunt in groups. Zek A moving, constantly mutating ball of squirming flesh, between the size of a dog to that of a bear. They do not appear to ever sleep, drink, or do much of anything but rapidly crawl around and make a cacophony of various noises. Limbs and organs are regularly and quickly spawned and reabsorbed, tentacles, chitin, extra mouths and eyes, and many similar things. They are harmless until provoked, though, and ignore everything they come across, so unless directly in one's path, there is no danger.